Namibia

South Africa Struggles to Retain Power over Namibia

Upon the dissolution of the League of Nations in
1946, South Africa refused to accept United Nations authority to
replace its mandate with a UN trusteeship. A black Marxist separatist
group, the South West African People's Organization (SWAPO), formed in
1960 and began small-scale guerrilla attacks aimed at achieving
independence. In 1966, the UN called for South Africa's withdrawal from
the territory, and officially renamed it Namibia in 1968. South Africa
refused to obey. Under a 1974 Security Council resolution, South Africa
was required to begin the transfer of power or face UN action. Prime
Minister Balthazar J. Vorster rejected UN supervision, claiming that his
government was prepared to negotiate Namibian independence, but not with
SWAPO, which the UN had recognized as the “sole legitimate
representative” of the Namibian people.